Martie Knows... How to Roll with the Punches

Jason Burnett

July 09, 2012

Sunday's Food Network Star challenged the contestants to present cooking demonstrations for a live audience at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. There was a twist...

The finalists didn't realize that their presentations were each set up to have something go wrong. Justin faced a heckler, Yvan lost his sound, Martita was given the wrong peppers, Ippy had people talking and walking out, Michele was given incorrect time cues, and Nikki's blender didn't work. Martie Duncan was making grouper en papillote and discovered that her first set-up (the grouper and parchment paper) were missing. Martie didn't miss a beat.

The judges loved Martie's easy, party-friendly recipe. They all recognized her for being completely unflappable, and told the other finalists they wished they could have seen Martie in action. Yvan also shined this week, preparing the fired oysters he used to win his girlfriend.

Ippy and Martita faced the producers' challenge and Martita was sent home.